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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

You know, I want for people to visit my blog. I do. More than that, I want people to ENJOY visiting my blog. I do not blog for money, I blog because I want to share with other knitters and other moms out there..I want to connect. This evening I have been perusing other blogs, trying to find one that I enjoy. One where I can relate to the blogger and I am here to tell you, it's HARD! I like reading blogs that are personal; one that makes me feel like the blogger is a personal friend. I also like reading blogs that have something for me; be it patterns, giveaways, tips, ideas....I want to feel like I am "walking away" with something. I DON'T like blogs that are hard to find my way around, ones that are too much advertising and not personal enough; I don't like blogs that aren't updated for weeks or even months. So herein lies my one and only New Year's resolution so far; I resolve to make my blog a place that is enjoyable to visit. How? I am going to work on being more personal...not just talking about myself but post as though I am talking to a dear friend. I will do my best to offer YOU, my friends something that you can "walk away" with, patterns, tips, links you will find helpful, etc. I will try to keep my blog easy to maneuver. I don't think there will be a problem with my blog being overrun by advertising, but I do resolve to keep that in check if it becomes an issue, lol. I also resolve to post at least weekly if not more frequently.

That is my resolution.If there is anything I can do to help you enjoy your visits, please let me know!Until next time...

Christmas is over and now we can breathe!I hope that everyone had the most wonderful holiday this year, no matter what you celebrate. I did indeed have a wonderful Christmas!

I have to be honest and say that I was truly dreading it. We had an unexpected financial crisis come up and it has been slim pickins around here. The boys are teenagers now and their "toys" are getting more expensive. Guitars, amps, video game systems and games were among the wishes. For many years now, the kiddos have gotten three gifts each from us to represent the gifts brought to Baby Jesus by the three wise men. This has worked wonderfully in our family and is a blessing in more ways than one. I was still expecting some disappointment though when neither boy got anything that was on their lists. Jeremy got a pair of shoes that he was desperately needing, Damon got a hoodie with an electric guitar printed on it, they each got a pair of jeans (something both of them needed), and each of them got a king-size candy bar wrapped in a $20 bill. Let me now tell you how extremely blessed Wayne and I are as parents; neither boy showed an inkling of disappointment. None. They were both extremely appreciative and happy with what they got!

Now we have always tried to teach them to appreciate any gift that they receive, no matter what. It runs all over me to come across a child who complains about anything that someone was nice enough to give them. Regardless of whether or not is was something that they wanted, we tried to teach the boys that you are to be thankful for the giver's generosity and thoughtfulness. As parents you never really know if what you are teaching sinks in. Do they truly get it? When you see it in action, and you witness first hand that they have indeed absorbed what you have taught them...it truly warms your heart.

My knitted gifts that I made were all received well too, and my mom LOVED her headscarf!

I promised before that I would share pics of hubby's birthday present along with the link to the pattern, so without further ado...I knit him this back & body scrubber from Mary Anne's free pattern HERE.I used Peaches & Cream in Camel and Ecru. I was using scrap balls leftover from dishcloths I have made in the past, so I made "blocks" of the two colors instead of one solid color. I wanted to make sure that the colors that I used were not colors that would run in the hot water of the shower. He absolutely LOVED it. I mean it! He was really excited about it. It was an easy knit and I highly recommend it!

And now, it is time for me to get on with my daily duties.Y'all have a great day!Until I see you again,Hugs...

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Hello!I don't mean to neglect my blog. Really I don't, but Christmas is only 5 days away....crunch time! I am almost done with my Christmas knitting, and then I will be more consistent with my posting I promise. I have been designing the patterns as I go along. I am so excited! I will be sharing them as freebies in the weeks to come, so keep checking in!

Speaking of freebies....I am all about FREE (have I mentioned that before???) so I really wanted to share this awesome freebie with you. Enjoy a 10 issues, 1 year, of More Magazine. No strings attached. You'll never receive a bill. That's what it says! I totally signed up.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Hey guys!I hope y'all are doing great this week.Are you any closer to being ready for Christmas?I am...a little bit anyway.

I frogged the hooded scarf that I was working on for my mom here.As beautiful as the pattern was as I was knitting it, I just wasn't feeling it for Mom at all. For one I felt it was just too dense for her. Knowing my mom, I felt she needed something a little lighter or she wouldn't wear it. She has mentioned liking the old-fashioned headscarves and not being able to find anything close to what she was talking about in a knitting pattern, I decided to design my own! It is actually coming along quite wonderfully and I am very pleased with it so far. I am using the same yarn, as I needed something quick. After Christmas, I think I will work on knitting her a square headscarf like she is talking about...maybe out of sock weight yarn; we'll see. I ran out of yarn and will have to buy some more Thursday. Once it's all finished I promise to post it as a free pattern for y'all.

While I wait for Thursday to get here, I am working on hats for all of the men-folk on my Christmas list. Right now I am working specifically on my older brother's. I started doing a very basic 3x2 ribbing but wasn't sure how I was going to approach the decreases so I started doing some hunting on the internet. My research landed me here. I. Love. the way Stephanie worked up the decreases on this one!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Hello!Are you getting geared up for Christmas?We always put our tree up on the 11th. It has become our tradition to decorate on hubby's birthday. That's when I start getting geared up. I am still working on Christmas presents and have completed the second hat, another pair of socks, and am still working on Mom's hooded scarf. I have also begun working on one of hubby's birthday presents (I can't say what it is 'cause hubby peeks in on occasion ). I think he'll like it though and as soon as I give it to him, I'll share the link to the pattern.

What I can share with you now though is a great, super easy and inexpensive recipe!I came up with this concoction for dinner tonight.

Mexican CasseroleIngredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 can of kidney beans, drained

2 cans of black beans, drained

1 large can of corn, drained

1 jar of salsa

Velveeta cheese (sauce or melted block cheese)

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown ground beef and drain. In 9x13" baking dish, mix all ingredients well, pop in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Voila! All done and very delicious!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Things are extremely hectic for everyone this time of year, and it is no different for me. Thanksgiving dinners, birthdays, Christmas.....I have had one heck of a year filled with death, separation from my husband (after 8 months, we decided to try and work things out), and losing all of my girlie parts...I for one will be extremely happy to see then end of 2008!

On the bright side, I have been one knitting fool! I have gotten so much knitting accomplished and that makes me one happy woman! I have mastered knitting two socks on two circular needles (wooo-hooo!), gotten two more pairs of socks made, a hand-towel that started out as a dishcloth from this pattern, but I modified by lengthening it, adding some stripes and some eyelet lace stitches (a birthday present for a friend who's bathroom is decorated with frogs), a hat from this pattern, made using Stylecraft Carousel Double Knitting yarn in the Lilac Hue colorway. I loved it so much, that I am almost done with another one using I Love This Yarn in Pink for my best friend. I am also working on this hooded scarf by Lion Brand in Caron Simply Soft Eco in Lilac Bud for my mom....and I still have so much more to do!

Hopefully I will be getting a new camera this week and if I do I'll be sure to post pics.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

..and if you have read any of my previous posts, you know that I don't recommend any blogs and/or websites that I don't absolutely love myself. Well, I have indeed found yet another blog that I am head over heels in love with. I never cease to learn something wonderful with every post at this one. Are you interested? Should I share, or keep it all to myself? Hehehe....ok, you talked me into it!You have to check out the nester here:

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

I won, I won, I won!!!I have never won anything in my life....you wouldn't believe how excited I am!Just what has caused all of this excitement?Check it out HERE. Thank you so much Jo-Lynne, Chic Critique, and Moroccanoil™...I am totally stoked!

Along with free stuff and great patterns, you know what else I love???

Quotes.Yup..quotes, and here's a good one...

"The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat."-Lily Tomlin

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I definitely love free stuff!Today's post is gonna be short and sweet, I really just wanted to share a couple of free things with you.

First off, I found the easiest ribbed hat! This would be a perfect pattern for someone learning to knit in the round, but it is just as perfect for a quick knit gift, which is what I personally made it for.Grab the free pattern HERE. It really turned out quite nicely.

Secondly, ever wonder what to do with all of that leftover turkey from Thanksgiving? Well, Victoria Smith over at Auction Girl Vintage has compiled a great 42 page cookbook that can help you out with that! Just click HERE to go to her post and get the download!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Things are going good here, just extremely busy. The boys lessons are a bit involved right now and I am knitting like crazy to get Christmas presents done. I have been meaning to post my (un)pattern for the house socks that I have been making....I promise I will get it typed sometime soon. My guys absolutely love them! Wayne continually tells me that they are the most comfortable socks he has ever worn and that he wants a pair in just about every color and he wants some short, some medium, some long.....lol, my guys sure are gonna keep me busy!

What are you guys doing? Are you making alot of your Christmas presents? I would LOVE to hear all about it!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Yeah, I totally suck for not posting these sooner. I have just been so unmotivated lately to do anything BUT knit, lol and knit I did! I have made a black cat tail, and matching ears for Damon's Halloween costume, a pair of house socks for Jeremy as well as a pair for my darling hubby, and have even started on a pair to send to a friend of mine in Texas, and I am working on a scarf for my best friend that will match her house socks.

Ok, are you ready for the pics???Didn't he make a handsome kitty??? His little girlfriend was a kitty as well...boy did they look cute!

Ok, now here's the (un)patterns for these:**called an (un)pattern, because I am not yet a real pattern writer. You must have some knitting knowledge to go on, but this is really just basics. I hope that you can make heads or ears and tails out of this!

Kitty TailCast on 30 sts, with black yarn.Knit in the round until tail is as long as you would like it (this will vary depending on the height of your soon-to-be kitty).Decrease every other round as such:

1st decrease round- K1, SSK, K5, K2tog, K6, SSK, K5, K2tog, K5

Knit round

2nd decrease round-K1, SSK, K4, K2tog, K5, SSK, K4, K2tog, K4

Knit round

3rd decrease round-K1, SSK, K3, K2tog, K4, SSK, K3, K2tog, K3

Knit round

4th decrease round-K1, SSK, K2, K2tog, K3, SSK, K2, K2tog, K2

Knit round

5th decrease round-K1, SSK, K1, K2tog, K2, SSK, K1, K2tog, K1

Knit round

6th decrease round-K1, SSK, K3, SSK, K2

This leaves you with 8 sts. on your needles.At this point, cut your yarn leaving a good 4 or 5 inches, thread your darning needle, run through the remaing stitches on your needles, remove your knitting needles and pull, closing it up. Then, with the darning needle, pull the remaining yarn through the center of the tail. No need to weave in. Stuff with fiber-fill and using the yarn tail, sew the open end of the tail closed.We used a key ring to attach the tail to Damon's belt loop...it was much more fun then say a safety pin because with the ring, it actually swayed...he LOVED it!

Kitty Ears

Using the same needles as for the tail, cast on 30 sts. with black yarn.Knit for 5 rounds.Begin decreasing every other round as such:

1st decrease round-K1, SSK, K9, K2tog, K2, SSK, K9, K2tog, K1

Knit round

2nd decrease round-K1, SSK, K7, K2tog, K2, SSK, K7, K2tog, K1

Knit round

3rd decrease round-K1, SSK, K5, K2tog, K2, SSK, K5, K2tog, K1

Knit round

4th decrease round-K1, SSK, K3, K2tog, K2, SSK, K3, K2tog, K1

Knit round

5th decrease round-K1, SSK, K1, K2tog, K2, SSK, K1, K2tog, K1

This leaves you with 10 sts. on your needles. Using the same method as for the tail, cut yarn, thread through remaining sts. and pull to close. Pull yarn end through center. Again, no need to weave in the ends.

Use the pink fuzzy yarn to "embroider" the inner part of the ears, making sure not to come through the back of the ears, just into the center. We used bobby pins to hold these in the hair as they were very easy to disguise and being they were being worn by a boy, attaching them to a headband simply would not do!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

It's the end of the week and at my house that tends to mean the cupboards are pretty freaking bare! While I hate it when we don't have much variety available, it does tend to motivate one to become pretty creative with what you do have. With that said, here is what I threw together with what I had on hand.

Ingredients used:2 regular-sized cans green beans1/4 of large onion, cut into chunkslarge beef bouillon cube2 Tbsp. bacon grease --these were put in a pan together and cooked on medium heat.

1 lb. ground beef1/4 of large onion, chopped --cook these together until ground beef is browned and onions are soft

3 c. water1/2 tsp. salt4 Tbsp. butter or margarine2 Tbsp. butter or margarine3 c. instant mashed potato flakes (I absolutely HATE instant mashed potatoes, but I think my mom gave us these and they worked out just peachy for this recipe....oh, and I was out of milk which the box called for but as part of this recipe, you can't even tell) --boil water, salt and 4 Tbsp. butter. Remove from heat, add potato flakes and stir well. Add other 2 Tbsp. butter and mix well.

1 small can of tomato pastebroth from green beans --mix paste with enough of the broth to form the consistency of tomato sauce.

Drain fat from ground beef and onions. Stir in tomato paste/broth mix. Drain remaining broth from green beans/onions. Spread out over ground beef/onions in skillet. Top with mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

All three of the men folk here at Chez KnittingJunkie's absolutely LOVED this and unanimously agreed that I needed to write this down and make it again. Unanimously people! A mommy can't get much higher praise than that!!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

I am thrilled! I finally got a new digital camera!!! It is just a point and shoot, not near as nice as the DSLR that we had to sell in order to go to West Virginia when my Granny died, but it will definitely do for now. I have been so frustrated that I couldn't post any pics of my knitting. I had some gift knitting that I needed to get done, so I ended up not getting too far into the two socks on two circulars, but I did get started and it actually clicked! I did get a pair of house socks made for Damon, another pair for my best girlfriend, and since Jeremy has resorted to wearing the first sock from girlfriends pair while I was knitting the second one, as soon as I finished that pair I started on a pair for him too. I will do my best to get some pictures up tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I have to admit that I have come across few blogs that I really enjoy following and/or find inspiring to me. I also don't link to blogs "just because". I really have to enjoy them to recommend them to others. With that said, I just read one of the most inspiring posts I have ever read on a blog before!Amy Bayliss is a wonderful lady and a great writer. She is so "down home" and "girl next door" that her posts always seem to touch me; I feel like she is relating and learning right along beside me, not preaching down to me...and she doesn't even know me! I really encourage you to not only check out her blog, but to particularly check out this post of hers from today.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Ever have one of those days where you just seem to be on a roller coaster? You know the kind, you can't classify it as a bad day, but you sure couldn't classify it as a good one either. Well, that has been my day.

Here's been my roller coaster ride:(going up) I woke up in a great mood!

(down we go) Then, first thing this morning I weighed myself and to my horror the number on the scale was one that I swore to myself I would never hit! I don't know why this was such a surprise to me since it hasn't been too much lower than said number for quite some time now, but it sure slapped me right across the face! That's it. I can't do this anymore. I have to buck up and slim down. It is a necessity. So, starting today, I am following the Weight Watchers Flex plan. I am writing everything down and counting points. This is going to be hard, I have a looooong way to go with this, so if ya'll would pray for me it would be much appreciated.

(YaY! I'm going back up!) Once I decided which path I was going to take on my weightloss journey, I felt very good and very determined. I felt like I could take on anything! I cleaned house, cooked, ran errands and even parked at the far end of the parking lot at the store in order to walk more.

(and back down) Later, a guy that I dated once upon a time looked me up on MySpace and got a hold of me. I really loved this guy (and still do to some extent), but things didn't work out. Well, when this guy got in touch with me, at first I was ecstatic! I loved hearing from him...that is until I learned that he was wanting to rekindle a relationship. I am married to a wonderful man and together we have two awesome boys; I am not in the market for another man! So, today I had to let my friend know that I could not in good conscious continue talking to him knowing that he wants more. I wished him well and told him not to lose sight of God then told him goodbye.

(up again!) Had a very productive day. Hubby came home to a clean house, a wonderful homecooked dinner and lots of smiles and love from his bride. After dinner I settled in to get some knitting done. I am making a pair of 'house socks' for my best friend and I can't wait to get them done. I finished the first sock just a bit ago...wooo-hooo!

(and down one more time) My oldest son Jeremy, who is almost 14, got upset out of the blue for who knows why. One minute he's happy, cuttin' up, having a great evening and then !bam! major mood swing! I asked him what was wrong and I get, "I. Really. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. It." Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuse me! Normally I would have nipped the attitude right in the bud, but tonight I just didn't feel up to laying into him. I guess it just kind of stung because we have such an awesome relationship, that for him to bottle up really kinda hurts my feelings, ya know?

(up, up, up) I walked away and worked on the dinner dishes. I looked over the food journaling that I did and I did great today! So now, I am going to go to bed before anything else happens to bring me down! lol

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

I just found this site and have read through quite a bit of it. I am definitely inspired and impressed! Click on the link below or on the button added to the sidebar.

As for the knitting side of life, I started the second right-hand mitten, but I am so totally burned out on them that I just wasn't enjoying it and I kept making mistakes...aaarrrgggg! Sooooo...I frogged it. Yup. I put the yarn needed, along with the pattern as well as my personal notes in a big zip lock bag and put it away! I have done the swatch for my next pair of socks and I am ready to try knitting two socks on two circular needles. I am so excited!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

I got this pattern for these cute striped mittens last year in a mailing from Knit Simple magazine and I kept it, but didn't get around to making them until this year...just within the last couple of weeks. It is a very simple, quick knit and I wanted to make myself a pair. Well, my favorite color is red and I had some Caron Simply Soft yarn in Autumn Red & also some in Black so I set to making them. I got a pretty good little bit into it and decided that the red and black really looked more masculine so my darling hubby said, "Hey! You can make this pair for me!" so that is exactly what I decided to do. Things went very well...one mitten done and I was so proud! I couldn't get started on the second one fast enough, and finished it rather quickly....again very proud...that is, until I tried it on....I didn't make the adjustment to the pattern for the thumb to make it a right-handed mitten! I am such a dingleberry! I made two left-handed mittens. I have to laugh at myself a lot...can u tell? All is well though, I have finished all but the thumb on one right-handed mitten, so one thumb and one more righty is all that's left to do. Leave it to me!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

OMGoodness, I am so happy!I have found that I love making socks. Recently I learned how to knit socks using magic loop....soooo much better than dpn's! About the same time, I started really wanting to learn how to do two socks on two circulars. I researched to find which book has the best reviews & I found....

I found it at Hobby Lobby, I had a 40% off internet coupon & my wonderful hubby bought it for me....woo-hooo! I am so excited!!! Well....Off to learn to knit socks on two circulars!

Monday, September 29, 2008

I had intended on trying to write faithfully every day....apparently that's not gonna happen! Oh well, maybe I should just commit to writing when I can, lol. Any-who...I am pretty excited right now. My family is together & happy, our homeschool year is going great so far & I have learned Continental Style knitting...wooo-hoo! I don't know why that was such a big deal to me, other than that I am so obsessed with knitting that I want to learn every aspect of it....or maybe it's that I can't stand the thought of something beating me...hmmmm. Ok, I have tried to learn this style of knitting before, but just could not for the life of me get the hang of it! Then, I came across this link to this amazing speed knitter, and finally it clicked!!! Woo-hoo...I was inspired & I got it! Purling continental was kicking my butt though, so once I got the knitting down I was on a hunt for a video that would inspire me with purling as well. I found this one & this one on YouTube & wooo-hooo, by georgies, I got it!! It still isn't as easy as the english style knitting, but it has clicked, I can do it, & practice makes perfect! Actually, I am really enjoying knitting (and purling) continental style, and that is a real shock for me.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Well, here it is...I am blogging.I don't know that anyone would REALLY want to hear a thing I have to say, but I'm gonna do it anyway! I am sure there will be alot of rambling about nothing....but that is how I talk too, lol.Any-who...if you happened upon my blog & actually read it, I hope that you enjoy it. Maybe you might even get a chuckle...who knows!